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So during this "shutdown" on life as we know it, I decided to make use of my time and take some shots of my car since the weather and sun were just right today. And no, I did not vacuum my car before taking these hence my "flaws and all" line lol. Photos are completely unedited and "raw". Keep safe everyone!

^ These are the same people who are probably demanding voice-activated power windows (but just as a stopgap until thought-activated power windows appear). - - - - - Just a 'plain Jane', cheap, Plymouth Belvedere :

Whoa, TANG-y!

Gotta say this is not surprising. Hybrid/EV drivers are all the same.

^ Last time I bought a headlight assembly from the dealer, it was for an '03 Grand Prix- this might have been around 10-11 years ago. I remember it being $109. Whole entire corolla isn't worth $1100. Busted headlight? Junk the car.

@ocnblu

I was much the same but it has surpassed my expectations. The spare is a full size spare. I still have the donut underneath the 3rd row but after I had to switch out one of the front tires. I had them all replaced and bought an extra 20" matching wheel and used one the old tires on it (tread was more than fine but I swapped all tires out just get matching because the front two were different from the back two when I bought that car). I just carry it with me, just in case, because I refuse to ride on an 18" donut! Sadly, this mode of transport is because the 20" will not even come close to fitting in that wheel well. If I need to haul something, then I can just simply roll it out and put it back in later, and just roll the dice on never having to use that donut lol. A little black and white post edit.

Recent access ramp I built for a customer. They didn't ask me to paint it, tho perhaps that's in the near future, as reportedly it's a permanent structure.

Well, I know for sure it is tougher in the rust belt states. My wife’s 17 year old Cavalier had to be replaced not because the car stopped running (engine and trans had a lot of life left at 155k) but rust was making the doors fall off. It’s why it’s not uncommon to see 10 year old cars in the junkyard....

No vehicle inspection in NJ other than gas engine emissions. Local Chevrolet dealer does police vehicle service from a number of towns. I would think it was more cost effective rather than each township mantaining a multi-brand garage/ employing & training mechanics. Most equipment mandates are at the federal level, tho of course the individual states enforce condition. I would think you would be highly supportive of all safety & other equipment being functional, Mr Felt. Me; I don’t care so much.

Apparently the USA is now a German province. I remember when the USA essentially became a Japanese prefecture. . . . and that was 30 years ago.

Wasn't it Genesis that recently leapfrogged Lexus (let alone the junky German luxury brands) in quality/reliability ratings? I think it was.

And emergency personnel need to keep vehicles operational. It’s not 1903. ? Repair shops and dealership service departments are open in NJ. Dealership sales are closed tho.

dfelt... omg HID headlights have an HID controller box on the bottom of the housing. Some headlights steer with the steering wheel. And etc. etc., there are many features on a modern headlight. This is not 1973. Why would a headlight need to meet Department of Energy requirements? Then you have LED headlights. You think they're cheap? You want everyone to drive an EV but you are stuck in the far past when it comes to headlights... LOLWUT?

I agree not all after market suppliers are quality, but some are and worth it. I disagree with you on more complicated than that. If it meets DOT requirements, then there really should not be a difference between the OEM and the 3rd party company selling direct while also supplying the OEM. I have not seen complex headlights now that they are all pretty much formed plastic with reflective chrome lining on the inside and then the front clear lens attached.

I have gone from fueling every 4 days to about every 7 to 8 days on the SS. So yea, spending less money which is good on fuel. How is Auto Accident repair essential to the commonwealth? With everyone supposedly staying home, much less traffic on the roads, auto repairs are reduced and I do not see how an auto repair from an accident is considered essential unlike food or medical? I am honestly surprised that your state has that listed as essential. Repair shops here are all shut down.

Searching online, I see prices for the Corolla HID headlight assembly from $367 to $645 on Amazon and a crazy $941 on ebay, but who uses crapy ebay any more. I am surprised they are still in business. Interesting to see that depending on the Toyota dealership web site you use, prices for the HID headlight assembly run from $799 to $971 from the Miami Toyo dealership. Crazy for that auto to have that expensive a headlight assembly for a 2020 corolla. $1,100 I can see as an MSRP price but that is just stupid for a chunk of plastic and LED bulbs.

I wanted to replace the headlights over my then 1999 Buick Park Avenue Ultra (the part that clouds over the bulb assembly). The parts department at my local Buick dealer said $300 each. Rockauto has it for about $120. Unfortunately, none of it is cheap anymore.

Yeah I've heard LED headlights/enclosures are super pricey to replace. On G80 pricing, I'm going to guess starting in the mid to high forties to start. With it being a sedan, the global economy tanking and small business closures sure to be massive, it will have trouble selling just like any other new car.

Yes we are. And I just got a text from my boss, we are going back to M-F, 8-2 for public interactions, but we can stay longer if we have work to do. 1949 Oldsmobile 88 Futuramic

Has anyone actually priced a headlight replacement lately? Through the roof. And not just for Germans. A Corolla, for example, has standard HID headlights and they are over $1100 just for the assembly, not including labor.

I got my bike from my parents last week and have gone on a few bike rides this week to get out. I can't stand being stuck inside this much. I'm actually excited to get working on my lawn to do something outside and move around now that my gym has closed.

Found the rim used on eBay for $229 (some scratches on it) and I got a really good hookup on the tires themselves. The tires are Atrezzo Sailun (odd brand but has really solid reviews). They do have a better grip than my previous set that’s always a plus. Overall I’m really happy with the Flex. My only gripe is that I wish I could have found an EcoBoost with relatively low miles. That extra power makes a world of difference. Still, no real complaints on that end. It will pass with ease on the freeway but the EcoBoost makes a big difference at the stop lights. Far more off the line punch. Yeah, having an 18” donut on a 4600lb. car with 20s on it is just asinine which I why I went with an extra full size. What I may end up doing is finding a roof rack mounted carrier for it so that it will not be taking up space in the back. A little unconventional for a non four wheel drive SUV but then again, I’m pretty much unconventional all the time lol.

Your Flex looks great. Interesting about the spare...I can't recall if my Jeep has a normal full size 20 inch spare tire/wheel or something smaller (they also came w/ 17" inch wheels in '14). I recall checking the spare when on the lot before I bought it, but don't recall what's there...huge well under the rear cargo floor.

Dang, that was probably a pretty expensive spare wheel purchase but definitely worth it if you ever need it. What tires did you put on it?

Same for the Germans. Especially in this market, and especially moving forward. Good thing for audi they’re not an independant.

It’s fine- a truck with some cardboard boxes and other misc in the bed is not ‘not being cared for’. But more to the point, owner can’t drive and he can’t work on it or probably not even climb into it, so its at least covered & secured. Be happy ?

Deep dive..

Bill stays pretty spry for a guy turning 62!

Happy Birthday Ocnblu!! ?

AAA is reporting that the National average for a gallon of gas has hit $1.997 per gallon. First time since early 2000's that gas has become this cheap. https://www.autoblog.com/2020/03/31/gasoline-prices-2-dollars-gallon/

Eldorado Biarritz. But yeah :

BING added a tracking site pulling data from WHO and John Hopkins. Really like how it lets you burrow down into the data and easily back up. One of the best I have seen so far. https://www.bing.com/covid?form=COVD07

Mostly Firebirds. To honour Balthy's 1968 1000 horsepower plus Firebird! From 1967-2002

Mercury Cougar Elminator AMC Rambler Scrambler

1966 Chevelle 1966-67 Chevy II 1964-67 Sunbeam Tiger

Current Cadillac Escalade taillight is over $1500 for the part only!

Got it, forgot you guys are on the east coast where static Government oversight of having to tell auto owners that this or that is broken and has to be replaced and excessive auto inspections to create low paying jobs are a requirement. I have yet to see a government group that uses dealerships for the Police, medical or fire auto's that are used as they usually have their own mechanic shops. I give this to you as I constantly am surprised by how much government oversight and running of the average persons life there is on the east coast. Crazy.